Akume: A quintessential public servant, By Chukwudi Enekwechi

The appointment of the former governor of Benue state, Senator George Akume as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation did not come to many Nigerians as a surprise, yet it has elicited reactions from some quarters. There is no doubt that Akume is the right man for the job based on his antecedents. His appointment is considered as one of the best from the Tinubu administration so far. It is a surprise that the former minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, recently led a handful of his acolytes from the Idoma ethnic group to address a press conference where they called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sack the SGF on the unsubstantiated accusation that Senator Akume had used his esteemed position to influence the nomination of a Tiv man for the Benue State ministerial slot. The move by Ogbeh is unnecessary, diversionary and unpatriotic and ought to have been avoided.

This call by Ogbeh is not only unpatriotic, but unbecoming of a man who had himself served as minister in the federal cabinet twice (second republic and the first term of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration). In both instances he represented Benue State, and the question is: why did he not deem it necessary to canvass for equity and fairness then? For the avoidance of doubt, Senator George Akume has been a dependable political ally of President Bola Tinubu for more than two decades. As a matter of fact, Senator Akume narrowly missed the position of the vice president of Nigeria under President Tinubu as a result of the Muslim- Muslim ticket, as he was known as one of the closest confidants of Mr. President from the northern part of the country. Now with his appointment as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the president has performed a balancing act as Senator Akume does not only represent the North Central geo-political zone, but with the position the Tinubu administration has assuaged the agitated feelings of Christians, who felt marginalized as a result of the Muslim-Muslim ticket of Tinubu and Shettima. Besides, Senator George Akume is a consummate politician, gentleman and a man that can be trusted. In his long political career, he has built bridges across the length and breadth of the country, and has a pedigree of accommodating people of all tribes, religion and ethnic backgrounds. He is a detribalized Nigerian and a great patriot. Nigeria indeed needs people like Akume at this point in time to help President Tinubu to fix Nigeria. The work of making Nigeria work for all cannot be done by one man. As a tolerant leader, Akume knows how to navigate through political turbulence and this is essential towards the realization of President Tinubu’s vision for a renewed Nigeria. This is one SGF in whom Nigerians are well pleased. Most Nigerians are actually applauding President Tinubu for his foresight and wisdom in appointing Senator George Akume as the SGF. Good enough, his appointment has apparently brought calm and tranquility to governance and the ship of state is navigating seamlessly.

It is therefore expected that all well-meaning Nigerians, especially the All Progressives Congress stakeholders, will not throw spanner in the works, but will rally round and give the SGF and the Tinubu administration the requisite support towards ameliorating the harsh living conditions of Nigerians. If there are people who will oppose Akume’s appointment as the SGF, they should not be people from the same Benue State. The negative approach of what many people see as a “run him down syndrome” should be discarded as it is not only decadent but petty and tantamounts to envy and jealousy. Nigeria is currently beset with several socio-political challenges and to find solutions to this myriad of problems will require the unalloyed support of all and sundry. A situation where some people choose to drag the hand of the clock backward will aggravate an already tensed political atmosphere.

Lest we forget, Senator George Akume has served the country in various capacities without blemish. Apart from being a former governor of Benue State, he was also a Senator and in the last President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration he was the minister in charge of special duties. And he did not disappoint in all of these duty posts. So we find in him a combination of legislative and executive experiences that aid his current position as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. In other words, he will be able to crystallize the entire gamut of President Tinubu’s agenda into concrete reality for the benefit of all Nigerians. His quiet disposition as a leader despite his endowments will augur well for the administration.Already his leadership style has started yielding the expected dividends of democracy in the country in line with President Tinubu’s vision. It is therefore incumbent on his kinsmen to lend him a helping hand to discharge the national assignment. By doing so, they will be seen as partners in nation building, and not detractors who are out to undermine the plan of the Tinubu administration to deliver democracy dividends to the generality of Nigerians. It must be noted that the call by the Audu Ogbeh group for the sack of the SGF is not only retrogressive, but unpopular and ill-advised.

They should therefore withdraw the call immediately and apologise to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume. It is even more disheartening to know that Senator Akume’s detractors are coming from Benue State when they should all rally round and give him unalloyed support. The SGF should be spared of any distraction now because the tasks ahead are enormous.

● Enekwechi, (JP) is a member, Media and Publicity Committee of APC Presidential Campaign Council 2023. writes via kwechis19@yahoo.com